Ch. 13

We didn't know it at the time, but that evening marked the start of the changes in the lives of myself and my little brother.
~

"I'm sorry, Rin," James murmured as he helped his sister scour the yard for any remaining garbage.

The half-demon sighed, shaking her head. "No, James-chan. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let Sponge tear up your travel book like that."

"But I shouldn't have brought it outside," the six-year-old said, his eyes locked on the stony ground.

True that. "Never mind. And don't mind what they said either. Okaa-san and Henry-san weren't stupid and you know it."

James raised his head, blinking back tears. "I know. Mum and Dad weren't stupid and foolish at all."

"Right. Spiker and Sponge may be able to tear up a travel book, but they can't destroy your memories. Hold onto them, James-chan, and Spiker and Sponge will never be able to take them away."

James nodded, meeting his sister's gaze. "We'll remember them the way they really were! Mum and Dad and your dad too!"

"H-Hai. Of course we will." At Rin's words, a soft breeze blew by, ruffling both siblings' hair and making the branches of the peach tree seem to dance. The half-demon shook her head, looking the yard over one last time.

"See any remaining trash?" she asked James.

"No. I couldn't even find any pieces of my travel book."

"Odd. I thought we'd find a few pieces, at least. Wonder what happened to them."

"Maybe they blew away." James pointed down the hill. Rin followed her brother's gaze, squinting in the setting sun. Far below them, Rin and James could see he vast countryside spread out like a painting come to life. The green meadows and picturesque houses all shimmered in the warm evening air and the sea, plainly visible, was like a polished golden mirror. So near and yet so far.

"Well, we've done all we can. Shall we see if we're in luck for dinner tonight?"

"Okay," James agreed, hope in his voice. As of that day, James and Rin had been given two slices of bread for breakfast each (a rare luxury) and an apple apiece for lunch (Rin had snagged them from the kitchen while her aunts weren't looking). The young half-demon sniffed the air as she and James approached the back door. Hmm, grilled fish and rolls. And from the smell of it, a bottle of wine was being shared. Rin could hear girlish giggles over the crooning voice on the radio. That was a good sign; wine and music at dinner usually meant Spiker and Sponge were in a celebratory mood. Huh, perhaps they'd be more inclined to share tonight!

Or not, judging by Spiker's disgusted expression as Rin and James entered.

"Yes?" she inquired.

"We've finished all the chores," James said, eyes alight with the promise of a share of the appetizing dinner spread out on he table. Sponge held out a hefty arm, blocking her niece and nephew from coming any closer.

"What a coincidence," she trilled as she picked up another roll. "We've finished all the dinner." She stuffed the roll into her mouth.

"Oh, Sponge, you're such a tease," Spiker tittered. Fixing Rin and James with a horsey grin, she added softly,

"There's something for the two of you, in the oven."

Rin twitched her ears at her aunt as James eagerly led her to the oven. The young half-demon could smell the aroma of fish that still circled the iron door. Perhaps there was something else. Rin doubted it would be the choice cut of the fish, though.

Well, I wasn't wrong, she thought as James pulled out a warmed plate with two fish heads- their staring eyes glassy with their own juices- from the oven rack.

"How generous you are," Rin said, casting an annoyed glance over her shoulder. Beside her, James shuddered in disgust.

"Oh, let me guess," Sponge replied gulping down a mouthful of wine. "They're not good enough for these two."

"What do you think this is? Buckingham Palace?" Spiker asked as James shut the oven door.

"Judging from the way you're dressed, you seem to think so," Rin shot back. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw James grab a bag of what looked like potato crisps-no doubt left over from one of Sponge's many afternoon snacks- from beside the oven. Maneuvering so that she stood in front of James, the half-demon continued,

"But if you're to dine with royalty, you ought to learn how to play the host better."

"Shut up, girl," Sponge snapped. Thankfully, she was too busy with her wine to bother much. "Get out of our sight, both of you."

James had already made it to the stairs. Still holding onto the precious crisp bag, he ran up as Sponge repeated,

"Go on!"

Rin followed her brother halfway up, then stopped.

"Rin, come on," James whispered.

Rin shook her head. "I've just thought of something. Go ahead and eat those crisps. I'll be right up."

James swallowed nervously, but nodded. "Be careful," he cautioned before obeying his sister. Rin waited until she heard his door close before tip-toeing back downstairs. Peering around the corner of the stairwell, she watched until both Spiker and Sponge glanced down at their plates before slipping into the living room. Poking her head out of the open window, the young half-demon spotted her target: the half-full garbage pails set against the wide of the house.

Taking a deep breath, Rin opened her mouth and let out a short screech. The trashcans rattled from the sound waves as Rin withdrew her head and made for the kitchen.

"What in the world?" Spiker had leapt clean out of her chair while Sponge had jerked backwards, nearly taking the tablecloth with her.

"What was that awful din?" she asked, clutching her chest.

"There was a raccoon in the garbage," Rin answered, pretending to come from the stairs. "Probably fell out of the pail and startled himself, hence the screech. And from the smell, it was a male looking for a mate."

"What? Where? Where's the little vermin?" Both women peered out the kitchen window, ignoring their niece as she snagged a few rolls and hid them behind her back. Rin sniffed the air again, then turned back to the stairs.

"Don't worry, he's gone now. Probably full of scraps too. At least he didn't knock the pails over."

"Humph, I'm surprised you're not going after him, you savage," Spiker sniffed. Chuckling, Rin called back,

"Nah, I wouldn't bother. Raccoons are far too gamey for my taste."
************************************************************************************************************************************

Mmm, not bad. Rin finished the roll, licking the crumbs from her claws. And three for James. Not a feast, but certainly better than a few scraps of potato crisps. Her ears twitched as she heard James talking to someone.

"This is New York City. My mum and dad told me about it. They said we'd go there together and there'd be lots of other kids for me to play with."

"James-chan? Are you alright? I brought you something." Rin opened the bedroom door and blinked at the sight. James was kneeling on the floor, the potato crisp bag ripped open and spread out before him along with his small collection of crayons. The little boy was busy sketching what was obviously a mural of New York City onto the white paper.

"Oh, Rin. What happened? Are Auntie Sponge and Auntie Spiker coming back up?" he asked. Laughing, Rin set the rolls down by her brother.

"They're too busy chasing an imaginary raccoon to bother with us," she informed him. "Didn't even see me grab these."

"Thank you!" James eagerly bit into the still-warm roll. ""It's great."

"Who were talking to just now, James-chan?" Rin asked, sitting cross-legged on the floor beside her brother.

"Oh! To my friend." James swallowed the roll and nodded towards the small rickety chair that usually stood under the siblings' window. Rin glanced at the splintered hunk of wood and was surprised to find a small black-and-white striped spider perched at the chair's end. The arachnid paced slowly back and forth along the edge of the chair, as if it were studying the two with great interest. Smiling, James addressed the spider.

"This is my big sister, Rin. She's a half-demon. I know people say half-demons are scary, but Rin's really nice. She'll keep us safe, right, Rin?"

"Hai, of course I will, James-chan," Rin replied, too bemused to say anything else.

Still grinning, James spoke to the spider again. "'Hai' means 'yes' in Japanese. I only know a few words, but Rin can speak both English and Japanese."

"So I can," Rin replied. "Best finish your dinner before you give your friend the family history, though."

James picked up one of the remaining two rolls and bit into it. "What about you?" he asked, swallowing the mouthful.

"I had mine already. Go ahead."

James glanced down at the last roll. Picking it up, he broke it in half, offering one of the pieces to his sister. "Please, Rin?"

"Oh, fine." Rin took the offered roll and nibbled it while James finished his share. The half-demon took the opportunity to glance down at James's drawing again. Rin tilted her head in amazement as she realized that James had drawn more than just New York. On the far side of the bag, she recognized Spiker and Sponge, their hands raised in anger and their heavily made-up mouths frowning. They were standing at the ocean, looking up at the sky. There, James had drawn himself riding on Rin's back as the half-demon flew them across the ocean, richly drawn in shades of blue. On the other side of the sea, New York City rose in buildings of various colors. Outside of these buildings were tons of people, all of them smiling and waving in welcome at the siblings.

"Do you like it?" James asked.

"I like how mad Spiker and Sponge are that they can't fly."

"Rin can fly because she's half bat-demon," James whispered to the spider. "But we can't tell anyone that she has wings. Rin needs to keep it a secret in case she needs to surprise someone."

"The element of surprise always works," Rin agreed, slumping against the wall. "And it's a surprise to me that you're still awake, James. It's getting late and I know you're tired."

"I am. But I just want to finish this first." James picked up the drawing and began folding it this way and that.

Ahh. "Need any help?" Rin asked, smiling.

"No thanks. I can do it."

Rin watched fondly as her little brother finished folding the paper. Blowing into it, the paper transformed into a small balloon.

"How are you going to make it fly?" she asked. James was already reaching into the small niche under the floorboards where he had long since hidden most of his smaller treasures.

"I saved this." James held out a small candle, the base of which depicted a small boy riding on a grasshopper's back. "Mum said it would bring good luck."

So much for that prediction. "Do you have string and tape?"

"Right here." James was already retrieving the necessary materials. "Will you light it though?" he asked, handing Rin the small book of matches.

"My pleasure." The half-demon watched as James attached the candle to the balloon and then held out his hand to let the spider crawl onto his palm.

"Here you are," he said, standing on his tip-toes to reach the bedroom window. The spider crawled from the little boy's hand onto the small web it had spun in the corner of the window. The spider curled up in the center of the web and then, surprisingly, turned to face the two siblings, as if wanting to see what they were going to do with the balloon.

"Ready?" Rin asked.

"Yes."

Rin struck the match and touched it to the candle's wick. James carefully held the opening of the balloon over the flame until the paper was filled with hot air. Standing on the wooden chair, the six-year-old lifted the balloon up to the window and let go. Slowly, gently, the balloon floated away in the warm air. James and Rin watched as it was borne aloft into the night sky, the small flame flickering like a shooting star. Placing her hands on James's shoulders, Rin let her chin nest in James's brown hair as she watched the small light vanish.

"Where did you send it, James-chan?"

Looking up at his sister, James smiled. "Far far away. Maybe even to New York City."

"Well, let's hope someone special finds it."

"Yes," James agreed with a yawn. "That'd be nice."

"So would sleep."

"Mh-hmm." James scrubbed at his eyes with his hand, but cast one last glance at the spider on its web.

"Good night. Pleasant dreams." James stepped down from the chair as Rin pulled the window's shutter closed. He collected his pajamas and toothbrush as Rin peered around the door, twitching her ears.

"Coast is clear. You can go wash up."

"Be back soon." James slipped into the hall and made for the bathroom. Rin took her place on the floor, leaning against the wall opposite James's bed. Her ears twitched as she heard a slight movement above her. Glancing up, she saw that the spider had also settled in for the night; from what Rin could tell, the spider had turned about to continue its observation of the siblings. Rin snorted, leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes.

"Don't know if James told you, but if Spiker and Sponge catch you, you're as good as dead. I'll keep my promise and try to keep you safe, but you really should move," she muttered. "For James's sake. I don't want anything happening to you, since the two of you seem to have bonded." The spider didn't say anything (Rin hadn't expected it to), but there was the tiniest vibration in the air from the web, as if the arachnid was acknowledging the half-demon's words. Well, at least the new roommate was agreeable!

Rin looked up as James tip-toed back into the room, yawning and rubbing at his eyes.

"Hopefully you'll have good dream tonight, James-chan," Rin said softly as James crawled into his bed.

"I hope so too." James laid back and reached under his pillow. His face fell as he remembered what had happened to his travel book.

"Focus on the memory of when you got the travel book, little brother. I promise you it's there." Rin watched as James closed his eyes. Slowly, a contented smile spread over his face as he began to drift off to sleep full of happier times.

"Good night, Rin," James murmured.

"Good night, James," Rin answered, closing her eyes. With any luck, she could lose herself in a happy memory that night as well.
~

That night, both of us slept easily. Call it an omen, if you will, because that night was the last night James and I would ever spend beneath Spiker and Sponge's roof.